Orthopaedics Research

Children’s Orthopaedic Research Group (CORe) 

At CORe, we’re dedicated to transforming the lives of children with bone, muscle and joint conditions. Growing bodies need specialised care, and our research focuses on finding better ways to diagnose and treat these conditions. This research directly improves care, reduces complications, and gives more children the chance for active, pain-free lives.

We combine clinical expertise, innovative research and vital patient input to turn insights into evidence-based practices. Guided by a research advisory committee, our team ensures our work truly meets the needs of children and their families. 

Our key research areas

Our research spans a wide range of orthopaedic conditions affecting children: 

• Limb reconstruction and sarcoma: Tackling limb deformities, bone tumours and skeletal dysplasia. 
• Child and adolescent hip: Focusing on hip dysplasia (or DDH) and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). 
• Spine: Improving care for scoliosis and other spinal conditions. 
• Upper limb: Studying upper limb instability. 
• Gait and neuromuscular: Analysing gait and managing cerebral palsy. 
• General orthopaedics: Addressing sports injuries, foot and ankle problems, trauma and fractures.
  
  

Why our work matters 

One in two children will break a bone before turning 18. Out of these, 60-80% occur in the upper limb (shoulder to hand). While some may think of broken bones in childhood as almost a rite of passage, many children never recover from their broken arms or dislocated joints and are never able to go back to their usual activities or rejoin their team on the sports field. 

Certain childhood orthopaedic conditions can profoundly affect physical development, mobility and overall quality of life with chronic pain. The long-term impact of these conditions isn't always clear until children grow older. Early detection and quality care can change everything. That's why our clinical registries are so important.

By tracking children’s health journeys over many years, we collect invaluable data that helps us: 

• Detect problems earlier and pinpoint the best time for intervention 
• Improve the safety and effectiveness of complex surgeries  
• Help children maintain better mobility and quality of life  
• Improve treatment outcomes for current and future patients
• Develop evidence-based care and support tailored to families and health professionals.
  
  

Hugh Williamson Gait Analysis Lab

Our research is closely linked with the Gait Analysis Laboratory and the Orthopaedics Department at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). 

We use advanced tools like 3D motion capture systems to better understand walking disabilities, with a strong focus on children with cerebral palsy. 

• Hugh Williamson Gait Analysis Laboratory: About The Gait Lab (RCH) 
• Orthopaedics: About the Orthopaedics Department (RCH)
  
  

Join our research efforts

Every child deserves the best chance to live a healthier, pain-free life. Join us in transforming children’s orthopaedic health.

We welcome enquiries from (MDRS, honours, PhD) students who wish to complete their research units with our team. Researchers can complete orthopaedic related research, gain first hand research experience, immerse themselves in the clinical environment- observing in outpatient clinics etc., take advantage of training and learning modules and collaborate with campus partners.

Contact us

Want to learn more or support our work? Contact us below.

Email:  show email address

Our projects

LimbDREAM  

The Limb Reconstruction Registry of Experience, Aspirations, and Measurement, or LimbDREAM, is a prospective, multi-site registry of paediatric and young adult patients living with conditions that cause limb deformity and tumours.

The registry is uniquely designed to support a consumer-centric and narrative approach to examine a child’s journey through treatment. It collects patient-reported outcome measures alongside clinical data using participant and clinician facing surveys and data extracted from local information systems.

SLIP 

The SLIP Registry is an international, multicentre project for kids younger than 18 years diagnosed with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), and being treated at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH). The research project is being conducted by the British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital in Canada and is aiming to collect routine care data from patients with SCFE worldwide. This registry will improve our understanding of SCFE and its treatment, and enable us to work towards better health outcomes. 

Paediatric spine surgery registry   

A registry of patients that have spine surgery at the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) aiming to follow patients up for 25 years after spine surgery, including collecting patient reported outcomes, radiographs and complications.  

HipWatch 

The Victorian Cerebral Palsy Hip Surveillance network (VCPHSN AKA HipWatch) is a knowledge translation project with the goal of implementing a new, state-wide model for hip surveillance for Victorian children with cerebral palsy (CP). It follows several years of work and multiple projects to evaluate current hip surveillance implementation in Victoria and identify barriers to stakeholder engagement (both clinicians and parents).

HipWatch will be overseen by a partnership between The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Monash Children’s Hospital and the Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (VPRS).  The VCPHSN aims to implement a standardised hip surveillance program across Victoria to identify and monitor hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy, to facilitate referral for orthopaedic assessment before hips become severely displaced or dislocated.  

The project has several arms including:

• stakeholder engagement
• co-design of information sharing resources
• development and roll-out of the HipWatch Clinical Register

The VCPHSN will facilitate the implementation of clinical protocols, oversee the HipWatch Clinical Registry and support knowledge sharing, research and impact evaluation.

Developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool for video-based motion tracking in infants and children

This research focuses on developing and validating a digital platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to track movement and predict clinical outcomes in infants and children from video recordings. The tool will be applied in areas such as early identification of cerebral palsy in infants and gait analysis in children with cerebral palsy.

Improving persistent foot drop in children with cerebral palsy

Equinus deformity is common in ambulant children with cerebral palsy and can affect walking ability. Calf lengthening surgery is often effective in correcting the deformity. However, some children continue to experience persistent foot drop during the swing phase of walking after surgery. This research aims to identify factors that predict persistent foot drop and to evaluate a new surgical technique designed to improve foot function.

Biomechanical models for the future

This project aims to enhance the biomechanical models used in 3D clinical gait analysis. It includes a series of studies focused on personalising the models to individual children and validating new modelling approaches to improve accuracy and clinical relevance.

A randomised clinical trial to determine the best method to treat hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy

This study investigates whether muscle surgery or bone surgery is more effective in improving hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy. Hip displacement occurs when the ‘ball’ of the hip moves out of the ‘socket’, which is common in children with cerebral palsy. If left untreated, it can lead to joint degeneration, reduced function, and pain.

Funding 

Thank you to our supporters. 

• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
• Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation
• Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) 
   

Collaborations 

We partner with leading institutions worldwide, including: 

Campus 

• The University of Melbourne, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne
• The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Melbourne
• The Centre of Research Excellence in Cerebral Palsy (CRE-CP)
• Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (VPRS)
• Generation Victoria (GenV)

State 

• VicHiP
• Barwon Health
• Monash Health
• Western Health
• Victorian Orthopaedic Centre
• HipWatch: The Victorian Cerebral Palsy Hip Surveillance Network 

National 

• Spine and Scoliosis Research Associates Australia (SSRAA) 

International 

• Global Hip Dysplasia Registry (GHDR), Canada
• International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI), USA
• The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada
• The Harms Study Group (HSG)
• Hippy Global Registry Program (HIPPYLAB)
• British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canada
• Australasian Cerebral Palsy Musculoskeletal Health Network (AusCP-MSK)
• Cerebral Palsy Hip Outcomes Project (CHOP)
• Motion Connect 

Featured publications

Howard, J.J., Willoughby, K., Thomason, P., Shore, BJ., Graham, K., Rutz, E. (2023) Hip Surveillance and Management of Hip Displacement in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(4):1651 

Thomason, P., Graham, K., Ye, K., O'Donnell, A., Kulkarni, V., Davids, JR., Rutz, E. (2025) Knee surveillance for ambulant children with cerebral palsy.  Journal of Children's Orthopaedics. Epub ahead of print. 

Post, A.M., Gaume, M., van Royen, BJ., Janssen, E., Lundine, K., Johnson, M., Neagoe, P., Kruyt, M., Boissiere, L., Kaleeta Maalu, JP., Renkens, J., Deml, MC., Stadhouder, A., Solla, F., Schaible, S., Tabeling. C., Mielenbrink, J., Miladi L. One-way self-expanding rods for early onset neuromuscular scoliosis: a two-year follow-up of an international cohort. European Spine Journal. Epub ahead of print. 

Cheung, K., Wang, K. K., McCombe, D. (2024). Presence of anomalous flexor carpi radialis brevis (FCRB) in Madelung’s deformity. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), 49(7), 917–919.

Chua, N., Onggo, J. R., Nambiar, M., Onggo, J. D., Wang, K. K., Pennington, R., Hau, R. (2023). Functional outcomes of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in Boileau class 1 and class 2 proximal humeral fracture sequelae: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Shoulder & Elbow, 15(3_suppl), 43–53.

Montgomery, B. K., Cidambi, E. O., Birch, C. M., Wang, K., Miller, P. E., Kim, D.-S., Shore, B. J. (2023). Minimizing surgeon radiation exposure during operative treatment of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 43(7), 414–417.

Onggo, J. R., Chua, N. S., Onggo, J. D., Wang, K. K., & Ek, E. T. (2024). Clinical Outcomes Following Surgical Management of Post-Traumatic Elbow Contractures in the Pediatric Age Group: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. The Journal of hand surgery, 626.e1-626.e11 

Rawal, A., Eckers, F., Lee, O. S., Hochreiter, B., Wang, K. K., & Ek, E. T. (2024). Current evidence regarding shoulder instability in the paediatric and adolescent population. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(3), 724.

Tan, T. K., Tan, P., Wang, K., & Hau, R. (2024). Effect of tranexamic acid on shoulder surgery: an updated meta-analysis of randomized studies. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 33(2), e97–e108.

Wilks, D. J., Ye, X., Biggins, R., Wang, K. K., Wade, R. G., McCombe, D. (2023). Median nerve palsy in pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures recovers faster with open than closed reduction. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 43(7), 407–413.